After charge-sheet, ACB chief summoned by Commission

In a quick succession of events on Thursday, hours after <g data-gr-id="18">Anti Corruption</g> Branch (ACB) filed charge-sheet in the Rs 100 crore CNG fitness scam, its chief and Joint Commissioner of Police M K Meena was summoned by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-appointed Commission of Inquiry to appear before it at 3 pm on Friday.  

“You make your submissions in the matter personally or though a duly <g data-gr-id="37">authorised</g> advocate to represent the commission to take a note of your submission before passing appropriate order concerning <g data-gr-id="36">production</g> of records to CNG fitness scam probe. The hearing is now scheduled at 3 pm on September 4. You may note that if you fail to appear on the date and the time mentioned to here above, the Commission shall proceed to hear the matter in your absence without any further notice to you in this regard,” said a notice sent to Meena by Ashish Kumar, Secretary to the Commission of Inquiry. 

“The order passed by you have been annexed with the aforesaid communication by you have directed your officials working under your control not to supply. Any documents or share any information concerning the CNG fitness scam case, prima facie, appears to be over reaching the directions of the Commission,” added Kumar. 

Aam Aadmi Party government had constituted a single-judge Commission of Inquiry by former Madhya Pradesh high court judge Justice S N Agarwal.  

Earlier, in the day, ACB filed the first charge-sheet in CNG fitness scam of 2002 on Thursday naming two former IAS officers serving under former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s tenure besides nine other senior officials have been included in the list. The charge-sheet was filed before Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry in the case in which several persons were arrested in 2013 for allegedly siphoning off crores of rupees in conducting fitness tests of commercial vehicles in the national Capital in connivance with the transport department. 

In 2010, ACB had arrested several persons including India-based director of ESP USA, Nitin <g data-gr-id="40">Manawat</g>, Puran Chand Tamta, CEO of Tambros India Ltd, an alliance partner of ESP India, and others for allegedly floating a fake firm, ESP India.

The others who were arrested included Joginder Sharma, a former Deputy Commissioner posted at Vehicle Inspection Unit (VIU) at Burari, transport officials M A Usmani, V K Gupta and Ashok Gupta. 

It’s important to mention that on recommendations of Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee LG Najeeb Jung had denied prosecution in the case, virtually burying the matter. But after coming to power, the Kejriwal-government ordered ACB to reopen the case. On last Wednesday, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had ordered <g data-gr-id="19">inquiry</g> into <g data-gr-id="21">filing of</g> the charge-sheet and submit <g data-gr-id="20">report</g> by September 7.